We contacted MP Mike Kelloway regarding equalization fairness and he did arrange a meeting between our group, Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness (NSEF), and the Department of Justice and Department of Finance in Ottawa.
The NSEF has a strict policy of only meeting with politicians and government officials on video and the reason for this policy is because we have, over 20 years of similar meetings, had no positive outcome with regards to equalization fairness. Lip service at its finest.
Mr. Kelloway was successful in arranging this meeting and it was set to occur on Dec. 17, but we recently received an email from him stating that stated we were not allowed to record this meeting.
The government seems to go out of its way to hide facts from the people and the equalization issue is no different. The people of Cape Breton deserve to view this meeting. The issue of equalization has plagued Cape Breton Island for decades and no politician seems to be able to provide answers to its citizens who have been marginalized because of the extreme misappropriation of Canadian taxpayers funding to Nova Scotia. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently extended the current program without any consultation with the citizens of Canada.
The NSEF has been fighting for 23 years now for the people of Cape Breton and rural Nova Scotia but we need to stand together and stand strong on this issue. We hope that residents that read this letter will email Mike Kelloway at [email protected] and ask him to explain to the public why the general public cannot view this meeting?
The NSEF will not meet with politicians off-camera. Some, including Roger Cuzner and Labi Kousoulis, have met with us over the years but others have refused to meet on-camera. We must ask ourselves why and do we need to be voting for politicians who will not be transparent to the public which elects and pay them.
The Province of Nova Scotia needs to be forced to discuss this issue, but our own provincial government has managed to avoid discussing equalization for over two decades now and it is working for them quite well.
So to Mr. Kelloway: the people of Cape Breton, including members of the NSEF, have no interest in meeting with politicians and government bureaucrats behind closed doors. We cannot afford another decade of decline and we are not interested in your political party politics because it has not been kind to Cape Breton. Please allow this meeting to be viewed by the people it affects every day. We deserve that much.
Rev. Dr. Albert Maroun
Sydney
(member of Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness)
FREDERICTON – A look at David Coon, leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick:
Born: Oct. 28, 1956.
Early years: Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, he spent about three decades as an environmental advocate.
Education: A trained biologist, he graduated with a bachelor of science from McGill University in Montreal in 1978.
Family: He and his wife Janice Harvey have two daughters, Caroline and Laura.
Before politics: Worked as an environmental educator, organizer, activist and manager for 33 years, mainly with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
Politics: Joined the Green Party of Canada in May 2006 and was elected leader of the New Brunswick Green Party in September 2012. Won a seat in the legislature in 2014 — a first for the province’s Greens.
Quote: “It was despicable. He’s clearly decided to take the low road in this campaign, to adopt some Trump-lite fearmongering.” — David Coon on Sept. 12, 2024, reacting to Blaine Higgs’s claim that the federal government had decided to send 4,600 asylum seekers to New Brunswick.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
FREDERICTON – A look at Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.
Born: March 1, 1954.
Early years: The son of a customs officer, he grew up in Forest City, N.B., near the Canada-U.S. border.
Education: Graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1977.
Family: Married his high-school sweetheart, Marcia, and settled in Saint John, N.B., where they had four daughters: Lindsey, Laura, Sarah and Rachel.
Before politics: Hired by Irving Oil a week after he graduated from university and was eventually promoted to director of distribution. Worked for 33 years at the company.
Politics: Elected to the legislature in 2010 and later served as finance minister under former Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward. Elected Tory leader in 2016 and has been premier since 2018.
Quote: “I’ve always felt parents should play the main role in raising children. No one is denying gender diversity is real. But we need to figure out how to manage it.” — Blaine Higgs in a year-end interview in 2023, explaining changes to school policies about gender identity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.
The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.
The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.
Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.
Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.
The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
